


Forest Fire

by killualovesgon



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Plot/Plotless, Oblivious Gon Freecs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killualovesgon/pseuds/killualovesgon
Summary: “What, you’re not enjoying the view so far?”Killua considered the view for a moment. Lush, sun-speckled forest greeted him everywhere he looked, broken only by bare trunks, multi-colored flowers that seemed to grow anywhere and everywhere, and Gon—dressed in a thin tank and shorts, cheeks flushed from their expedition or from the beach or from something else entirely.“Just waiting for the best part.”//(Or, Gon shows Killua his favorite spot in Whale Island, and Killua learns just how strong Gon's nose is.)
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 12
Kudos: 218





	Forest Fire

When Gon had initially asked Killua to go home with him, Killua didn’t exactly realize how big “home” really was for Gon. He knew about his _house_ —a humble, cozy, four-walled cottage set atop a rolling hill. But _home_ was a different thing altogether. So after scuffling through hot sand and climbing over hotter rocks, Killua came to understand every green, sunny inch of Whale Island was home.

And in that case, Killua knew he wouldn’t just be getting a quick tour of his family antiques or a walk-through of the local hangouts—he’d need to trek and explore and hike and swim to see exactly where Gon grew up. 

“Oh, I gotta show you this one place!” Gon seemed to say after nearly every trip, and Killua couldn’t help but smile at the promise of seeing more of the island. Of seeing more with Gon. And with every destination and cheery story about what animal Gon met _there_ or what cool plant he found _here_ , Killua tried his best to keep a mental journal of all of Gon’s favorite memories about these locations—memories he now treasured just as much.

One of his favorites up to that point was their first trip to the beach. Every step across the sand seemed to scorch Killua’s soles, so he settled into the shore instead, letting the waves lap across his ankles. Gon had told him about some of the incredible marine life he had spotted there over the years—an iridescent, reddish-purple starfish that looked more like a jewel than a living creature, a pod of dolphins whose skin seemed to reflect the sun like glass, and birds whose songs Gon had tried to replicate for Killua unsuccessfully. 

Killua had been asking lots of questions about the wildlife he had found that day. And at one point, as Killua was tracking a blue crab scuttling across the beach, Gon had lodged a clump of wet sand in Killua’s direction, narrowly missing the back of his head.

“Hey! What the hell was that for?”

Gon was already forming another sand ball. “You let your guard down!”

“So you attack me with sand?!”

“No,” Gon reared back, ready to make the throw of the century, “ _Now_ I’m attacking you with sand!” 

Killua hurled a sand ball of his own, and Gon’s amused face quickly turned to _oh, shit_ when he realized Killua’s expert aim was far more accurate. And with a mouthful of sand, he knew the war was on. Before Killua got a chance to launch another, Gon was racing toward him head-first, grabbing at the back of Killua’s knees and knocking him into the sand.

“I let you do that, y’know,” Killua tried to dust himself off, only to realize sand really does get _everywhere_. 

“Can’t live with me winning, huh?”

Killua’s smile turned wicked. “No way.”

After all was said and done, the two argued for what seemed like hours over who won—Killua was confident that tossing Gon into a crashing wave sealed his victory, but Gon was a special breed of stubborn. He made a fair point that Killua had actually just helped wash all the sand off of him, so actually, _he_ was the real winner since Killua was stuck crunching down on sand well after their war had ceased.

Gon’s smile was wide and beaming and bright, nearly splitting his face in half. Killua couldn’t help but let him win that round.

//

When the next morning came and Gon excitedly asked Killua if he could show him his favorite spot, Killua happily agreed, scarfing down his breakfast like he was being timed, and bolted out the door to meet Gon.

“So, when you say ‘favorite,’ exactly how is that different from your other ‘favorites’?”

“I really mean it!” Gon was still halfway done lacing his shoes up when Killua found him at the bottom of the hill. “This beats them all.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s my _favorite_ -favorite.”

“And that’s not like your other _favorite_ -favorites because…?” 

“Because I said so!” Gon jumped up, his face still a vibrant mix of bronze and pink from yesterday’s beach trip. “You’ll see.” 

The journey there didn’t seem all that different from their previous treks. Killua followed Gon through dense brush and leaped from tree to ever-taller tree, delighting in the remoteness of where they were. He lost track of the earth below him quickly, knee-high grass and feathery yellow flowers replacing dirt in a matter of steps.

The high-reaching trees seemed to swallow up the sky above them, so the only light coming through was filtered through leaves that reflected radiant mosaics across the forest. It was the most green Killua had ever seen in one place, and he wondered how anyone could avoid getting lost here. 

Killua’s forward momentum halted when Gon stopped in front of him, studying the grass—and the air, seemingly.

“Been a while since I was last here,” Gon confessed, sniffing up into the sky like it held the secrets of the universe. Just then, he seemed to catch something familiar and urged Killua to follow him there. 

In their haste, Killua playfully asked, “Am I supposed to trust you know where you’re going?”

“What, you’re not enjoying the view so far?” 

Killua considered the view for a moment. Lush, sun-speckled forest greeted him everywhere he looked, broken only by bare trunks, multi-colored flowers that seemed to grow anywhere and everywhere, and Gon—dressed in a thin tank and shorts, cheeks flushed from their expedition or from the beach or from something else entirely.

“Just waiting for the best part.”

Gon acknowledged him with a smile and quickened his pace, leading Killua through deeper flora that nearly reached the top of his head, leaving little to follow besides a mound of spiky black hair. Realizing their view was quickly becoming a maze, Gon reached back to find Killua’s hand in the thick overgrowth, pulling him forward so the two boys were side-by-side. 

“Better?” Gon asked.

“Will be once we get there!”

Just then, Killua picked up on a roar thundering ahead of them. Faint, but certain. Gon must have realized the same thing, picking up his speed and gripping Killua’s hand like a lifeline. The distant rumbling soon turned deafening, but Killua still couldn’t place what it was. And for a moment, he half-thought Gon was taking him to a lion’s den.

A clearing was finally evident, trees parting to let light flood in, and the two plunged right into it. Killua blinked against the blinding sunlight before Gon took his hand again and lured him to the side, footsteps now careful and deliberate. When they stopped, Killua became abruptly aware of water spattering across his face.

That’s when his vision cleared. He looked down to see a sapphire-blue waterfall crashing into white, thunderous flurries infinitely below. Just farther ahead of the splash-back was a still, clear pool—an oddly serene break from the pounding ribbons of blue up above. The clarity meant Killua could nearly count the stones from where he stood, but each was a grain of sand set against the massive scale of the rapids. 

“You see? This is my _favorite_ -favorite.”

But Killua’s gaze was fixed on the tumbling descent of the water, bookended by boulders larger than himself. The grass that had nearly suffocated them from before was nodding gently in the breeze, looking uncharacteristically puny next to the booming wall of azure.

Gon found a clearing nearby, a patch of bare dirt and rocks that stuck out like a diving board. He reached an arm out, and Killua found a spot there. Gon pulled Killua into him and reveled proudly in the pink that spread across Killua’s nose and cheeks.

“So your favorite place is a hundred-meter tall waterfall?”

“One hundred and twenty-one, actually!” Gon corrected. He kneeled down to undo the laces of his boots, stepping out of them in a hurry. “But actually, my favorite place is _in_ the waterfall.”

Before Killua could follow up, Gon was gone—diving into the depths like a falcon hunting for prey. He landed in the silvery blue satin with a quiet splash, drowned out by the rest of the scene. Killua held his breath, waiting for him to resurface.

When he did, his hair was a mop of black plastered against his forehead, and his smile gleamed with white teeth. He gestured for Killua to join him, and against Killua’s better instincts, he was like a fish being reeled into a net.

He left his own shoes with Gon’s, blocked off the part of his mind that was yelling _no, bad idea_ , and dove, mimicking Gon’s perfect form. 

A piercing coldness was the first thing Killua felt on impact. Then, foamy bubbles dancing around him. Next, the push of his feet against stone to launch him up to the surface. And finally, the feeling of Gon’s hands grabbing onto his shoulders. 

Killua could hardly find words. “Guess I see why you kept this a surprise!”

“Told you,” Gon considered, and then added, “Well, _didn’t_ tell you, but you get what I mean.”

“Still, would’ve loved a warning. I didn’t even bring swim trunks!”

The scene was like something out of a calendar. So implausibly blue and green and yellow that Killua reasoned even a painter couldn’t replicate it. The waveless waters, the distant green that sat like a crown atop the overhang, the breezy, golden-skinned boy paddling through the stream with a smile like the sun—Killua couldn’t think of a reason he’d ever want to leave.

“You know,” Gon began, only to realize he had to shout to help his voice carry. “You’re the only person I’ve ever taken here.”

Killua felt a tight heat rise from his stomach, bubbling up into his face and warming him through. He had to ask. “You used to do this all alone?”

Gon thought for a second, eyes fixed on the crashing fall above. He smiled back at Killua and lowered his hand to drop into Killua’s own as he pulled him farther out into stiller, quieter waters. “I used to do everything alone before I met you, Killua.”

“No way,” Killua tried to add coolly, internally praying the red in his cheeks could be explained away by too much sun and too little sunblock.

“Yes, way!” 

“You’re telling me you hiked through that forest all by yourself, somehow avoided getting eaten by an animal, found this waterfall all by yourself, and then dove in all by yourself?” Killua asked, finger pointing in all directions. “How’d you even find this?”

“Got the best nose in town.”

“On earth, I think. Beats Mike’s, even.” 

“Keeps me from getting lost!”

“Maybe, but can’t keep you from drowning.”

“Does it look like I’m drowning, Killua?” Gon asked amusingly, spinning in the water to illustrate his point. 

“Maybe not _now_ ,” Killua started, following Gon to where he was spinning and pushing him into the water by the shoulders. Gon sprang up quickly and bobbed in place, laughter nearly pulling his face apart.

“Point taken. But you caught me off guard! Bet I could sniff you out before you could do that again.”

“Oh yeah?” Killua challenged, one eyebrow raised.

“Try me,” Gon added, turned his back from Killua, and moved farther out to give him another shot. 

Killua approached. Silent Gait wasn’t exactly made for water, but he waded anyway, careful not to so much as a make a ripple. When he was near, he tried to replicate his move from before, only for Gon to spin around at lightspeed and grab his wrists.

“See?” Gon smiled confidently. “I could smell you coming from a mile away.”

Killua pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose to verify. “That bad, huh?”

“No! Just very _Killua_. Got it committed to memory,” Gon tapped on his temple for emphasis.

“Should I say ‘thanks’?” 

“If you like knowing I could find you anywhere in the world!”

Killua was treading water easily before, but Gon had a way of making him feel like he had sunk to the bottom—like he had fallen onto the bed of stones below him and was staring up at the blurry waves of sunlight bounding across the surface. 

“Guess I don’t mind that,” Killua said, wanting to add _not that I’d ever leave you_.

“In fact,” Gon’s eyes flicked up to the sun as his imagination started churning, “You’d be lucky if you could make it a mile before I find you.”

“Is that an invitation to a chase?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“How fast you can get out of the water!”

And with that, Gon propelled forward, and Killua fought against the sudden, smothering instinct to close the space between them both and cut the chase sequence altogether. Instead, he rushed toward the rocky shore and pulled himself up on hands and knees. He was soaked through and felt twice as heavy, but he took off anyway, following the water’s edge. Gon might know the territory well, but Killua was faster. 

He found his escape: a dense tangle of trees and brush. Perfect cover. The rumbling of the waterfall was replaced by the hammering of Killua’s heart, overworked to the point of tightness. He really hadn’t run much. The first phase of the Hunter Exam was several times longer, and he was hardly flushed by the end. But now, with Gon’s crashing footsteps a rousing threat behind him, Killua wasn’t sure how much longer he could—or wanted to—play the _don’t get me_ game.

So, he compromised. He abandoned running for climbing, reasoning he could end the contest quicker this way. He moved into the cover of branches and swung into the next tree, landing easily on his bare feet. He felt the scrape of bark against his skin, the paper-thin cascade of leaves on his face. Fleeing was much harder this way. And his heart thrashed in anticipation of the catch. Of being caught. 

One wrong move, real or not, and he would come tumbling down into a fleecy heap of grass. And Gon would find him. And Gon would win. And Killua could stop running and start— 

“Not even a mile!” Gon shouted, shrouded in the green of the trees like camouflage, and burst into Killua’s pseudo-hiding spot. Before Killua could react, Gon pulled him against his chest, and the two plunged into the grass below them, landing with a quieter-than-expected thud. The grass traced the contours of their bodies like a viridian snow angel, and Killua silently thanked the earth for being so forgiving of their less-than-graceful fall. 

“Fine,” Killua feigned disappointment, eyes closed in laughter. “I’ll remember to give your nose a gold star when we’re outta here.” And when he did look up, Gon’s eyes were gilded in sparkling hues of copper-brown. And with a dry mouth and closing throat, Killua realized Gon was on top of him. 

“Why are you all red?” Gon’s glee turned inquisitive, cocking his head to the side. “Wasn’t even a long chase!”

If Killua thought he could explain away the color in his face before, he was out of excuses now. And as luck would have it, his blood pumped madly, heatedly into his cheeks like he was running a fever. Might as well be.

“Oh!” Killua could nearly see the wheels in Gon’s head turn as he spoke. “I know why. You burn easily, right?”

“That’s not it,” Killua’s exhale felt like steam out of a kettle.

“If it’s too hot, we can go back in the water,” Gon moved like he was going to pull himself up and lead them back to the much-needed cool stream—and Killua lost any bit of restraint he was weakly holding onto and held Gon in place, hands latched territorially onto Gon’s forearms.

Killua could’ve sworn he saw Gon mouth an _oh_ in wordless understanding. “Me?” 

Killua nodded in confirmation and watched with some mixture of wonder and bewilderment as a deep blush spread across Gon’s face. 

“Do I make you red, Killua?” 

Killua flicked his eyes down, gesturing at the position they were in, and then finally found his voice. “Like this, you do. Yeah.” 

Gon needed to test the waters. “What about like this?”

And his mouth pressed onto Killua’s with frenzied want, restraint lifted like shackles. Hands, shoulders, arms, knees—Killua was no stranger to Gon’s frequent, affectionate touches. But his mouth was an enticing, uncharted territory he didn’t knew he needed so desperately to explore until now. He moved with surprising confidence, tasting Gon’s top lip first before giving the bottom attention. 

Gon moved to match Killua, but his approach was less curious and more covetous, like Killua’s lips were water in the blazing summer heat. And his hands matched—bunching up into the drenched fabric of Killua’s shirt like he was afraid he would be gone. Killua met Gon’s hand, steadying him with a reassuring touch that _this_ is where he wanted to be. And with his free hand, he coiled his fingers through Gon’s soaked hair, pulling him into position so he could taste deeper into his mouth.

The steady drip of Gon’s wet locks onto Killua’s forehead was the only verification this was all real—that Gon was real and warm and here and kissing him. He licked up into the roof of Gon’s mouth and flicked a short, wet line across his full bottom lip just to double- and triple-check this wasn’t all a vivid daydream. And each time he did, Gon kissed back fervently. And if Killua had any doubts, Gon’s nibble against his mouth dispelled any uncertainty. 

When they parted, Killua felt like Gon took his breath with him. Gon pulled back a little farther, analyzing Killua’s face like a puzzle. “Definitely redder.”

“Shut up!”

“Hey, I like it! A little kissing does you some good.”

“You’re one to talk,” Killua added back with some confidence, but the fire in his cheeks told a different story. “Lookin’ a little red yourself.”

Gon’s jubilant expression shifted with a shade of self-consciousness, but to Killua’s surprise, that quickly went away, replaced with something like satisfaction. He rolled off of Killua, leaving him feeling like a blanket had been stripped away, but quickly took Killua’s hand into his own and left small kisses on each finger.

Pinkie, red. Ring finger, redder. Middle finger, reddest. Pointer finger, scorching. Killua could’ve lit a candle with a single breath. The two lay side-by-side, hands locked between them, and Killua looked up into the leaf-cloaked sky, eyes fixed on the patterns of light drenching the forest. 

“By the way,” Gon broke the steady silence. “You smell a bit different now. How’d you do that?”

Killua tried to confirm, but he smelled of grass and water and dirt. “By running through the forest?”

“No, not that,” Gon explained. “I smell that, too. Something else.”

“What, are you the mood ring of smells now?” The suggestion seemed fitting, but Killua was only half-joking until he saw a look of affirmed glee on Gon’s face. 

“Got an idea to test that.”

“Oh no.”

“No, you’ll like it!” 

Who was Killua to protest? And with a nod of approval, Gon moved into Killua’s space to test his yet-to-be-revealed theory. Killua’s breath hitched in his throat, as if Gon had nearly plucked it out of him. 

And then, his mouth was back on Killua’s. Less messy this time, but with all the flashing heat from before. But Killua would be lying if he said he didn’t love being marked by Gon’s fire. And now, with a bit more boldness, Gon took to investigate other parts of Killua.

Gon’s mouth was like a brand against Killua’s jaw, his throat, his collarbone. Killua moved to meet the dark-haired boy’s lips, encouraging him to try more, to _do_ more. He fully stopped trying to figure out what Gon’s bright idea was and instead twisted his hands into Gon’s hair to urge him on. And Gon obliged, pulling a hand up to hold Killua’s face and feeling soft skin under his calloused fingertips. 

Killua couldn’t help but indulge in the taste of Gon himself—but rather than a kiss, he licked into the curve of Gon’s neck. And then, onto the sharp bend of his jaw. Onto the drumming pulse hardly hidden in his throat. Onto the line of his sternum.

“I’ve got it,” Gon broke away. Killua didn’t realize he’d been panting himself. 

“Hmm?”

“Figured out what you smell like.”

Killua had all but forgotten what spurred their second kiss, wanting to keep savoring Gon in third, fourth, fifth, infinite kisses. “Tell me?”

Gon’s smiles were always warm. Inviting. But this time, Killua distinctly noticed a shade of mischief in his face.

“You smell like you want me.”


End file.
